


Here to Stay

by KCgirl



Category: New Zealand Actor RPF, Star Trek RPF
Genre: Anal Sex, Birthday Fluff, Birthday Presents, Chris loves Karl, Chris over analizes, Fluff and Angst, Fluff and Smut, Karl is nervous, Karl loves Chris, Light Dom/sub, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-08-25
Updated: 2014-08-26
Packaged: 2018-02-14 14:47:15
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 7,466
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2195826
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KCgirl/pseuds/KCgirl
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Written in celebration of Chris Pine's upcoming birthday.  This is a semi-sequel to KU 42, but can be read as a stand alone. Karl has arrived to celebrate Chris's brithday. He has a surprise for Mr Pine, but revealing it, doesn't go as planned. A second chapter will follow on the 26th.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

Chris bounced up and down on the balls of his feet, buzzing with nervous energy. Karl would be arriving any minute. The pair talked almost every day, but they hadn’t seen each other since Karl’s birthday in June, despite each man’s attempt to curtail his busy schedule. The visit in June had been a surprise. This one, for Chris’s birthday, was planned, and he had been stressing over it for weeks, afraid some last minute snafu would derail their reunion.

He walked from the kitchen, to the living room, to the master bedroom, and back again, making sure everything was in it’s place. The recently renovated living space, with a lighter color scheme and floor to ceiling windows across the back of the house, really made a difference. The whole place was light and airy. Chris couldn’t wait for Karl to see it, and, he couldn’t wait to see Karl. 

When he heard the doorbell chime, Chris’s heart skipped a beat, and he practically ran to the front door. He opened it, and was treated to sight of a smiling Karl Urban, dressed in a pair of old Levi’s and a black t-shirt, a duffel bag in his hand.

“Hey stranger.” 

Karl smiled broadly, dropping the bag in the threshold, as Chris all but knocked him over with a full-force hug. Karl returned the embrace with equal enthusiasm, kissing Chris’s cheek and then his neck, and finally letting out a deep, steadying sigh. All the while, Chris tried to get even closer.

“You’re here…” he whispered, gathering the fabric of Karl’s T-shirt in his hands, as though he was trying to convince himself that this was real.

“I told you I’d be here Sweetheart, come hell or high water.” 

Karl took the younger man’s face in his hands, his heart aching with happiness at seeing those blue eyes that he loved so much. He leaned closer and captured Chris’s mouth in a slow kiss, letting his tongue trace the outline of pouty lips. Chris melted against him, running his fingers through Karl’s short, dark hair. After several moments, they broke apart, breathless. 

“It feels so good to touch you,” Chris told him, nuzzling into Karl’s neck. 

“Missed you love…” Karl kissed him again, thinking how tired he was of always having to say those words...how tired he was of feeling that familiar ache in his chest. After a moment, he moved to look at Chris, who stood gazing at him dreamily.

“Are you gonna let me in?” he smiled.

It took a moment for the question to register, and then, with a nervous laugh, Chris loosened his hold, still keeping one hand on Karl’s waist as he reached down to grab the bag. 

“I got this.” he said, leading them into the main living area of the house. Karl looked around and smiled, already feeling himself relax after his long flight.

“Wow. The house looks great.”

“Thanks.” Chris grinned at him over his shoulder as he walked down the hall to the master suite.

Making his way to the kitchen, Karl opened the fridge and saw it had been stocked with his favorite beer. He grabbed two bottles and shut the door, stretching a bit as he looked out the windows at a cloudless California sky. He started a little when he felt Chris’s arms go around him from behind. 

“Penny for your thoughts.” the blonde whispered into his ear.

Karl sighed happily, and covered Chris’s hands with his own, threading their fingers together. “I’m just daydreaming about you.”

“You don’t have to dream baby.” Chris moved to stand in front of the man that meant more to him than anyone in the world. “I’m right here.”

Karl touched his face tenderly, his hazel eyes shining. “I love you.”

Chris looked back at him and felt his heart swell with emotion. They said these words to each other all the time, over the phone, or on skype. Somehow though, this was different. Being able to touch Karl, and see the kaleidoscope of color in his eyes when he said it. That made it real, and true, and it reverberated through to Chris’s soul. 

“Me too.” That was all he could say before Karl’s lips found his again.

 

He pushed Chris down on the couch, pulling his own T-shirt off over his head as he straddled the younger man’s thighs, settling on top of him. His hands found their way under the cotton buttondown that Chris wore, caressing the skin over ribs and dragging his thumbnails across already hardened nipples. Chris moaned into their never-ending kiss, and held on tight. 

“I need you Chris...so bad.” He rasped the words into Chris’s mouth, grinding his own hard cock against his lover’s, both of them craving closer contact.

“Karl...Karl…” 

It seemed his extensive vocabulary had been reduced to only this name. Later, he would have no recollection of how his own shirt ended up on the floor, soon to be followed by himself and Karl. He writhed underneath Karl’s body, loving the feeling of being surrounded by the bigger man.

“Please…” he whimpered, as Karl sat up to unzip his jeans. “I want…”

“You want to make me wet baby?” Karl’s accent was always thicker when he was turned on, and it drove Chris crazy. The blond nodded, his blue eyes huge with desire.

“I want to,” he panted, “I want to taste you.”

Karl scooted up, taking himself in hand, and dragging the head of his thick member across Chris’s kiss-swollen lips. 

“Open sweetheart…”

Chris obeyed the breathless command, keeping his eyes open as well, to see the look of bliss spread over Karl’s features as he pushed himself inside.

Chris moaned when he felt the velvety smooth organ slide down his throat. He swallowed, and Karl fought the urge to go deeper. He didn’t want to come too quickly.

“Fuck Chris...just looking at you like this…” He gasped when he felt Chris’s tongue swirl over the tip of his cock, and pulled out slightly, only to thrust in again. Chris gripped his hips and sucked harder. 

“Fuck...feels so, so good…” Karl whined.

Chris dug his fingernails into the olive skin beneath his hands when he felt Karl start to pull away again. He wanted to make Karl come hard down his throat. He loved being submissive, and yet holding such power over this man.

“St..stop baby...you’ll make me come.” Karl pulled out and reached down to palm Chris’s hard bulge through his pants.

“No...I...I want…” Now it was Chris’s turn to whine.

“I want us to come together this first time…” 

Karl thrust his tongue into Chris’s open mouth, taking his breath away as he fumbled with the zipper on Chris’s jeans. The younger man reached down to help, pushing all offending clothing down over his hips and kicking it off of his legs.

Karl smiled down at his now naked lover, and moved to take off the rest of his own clothes. When he settled himself on top of Chris again, he spit into his hand, and quickly wrapped it around the base of Chris’s throbbing erection. 

So many nights, Chris had to make do with just the fantasy of having Karl on top of him, the big man’s hands on his body. Now the real thing was almost his undoing. He moaned loudly thrusting into Karl’s perfect touch.

“Tell me Chris,” he whispered, his voice like rough honey, “tell me how good it feels.”

Chris groaned as Karl worked his cock, the pad of his thumb pressing on the slit with every other pass.

“I wanna come...wanna come for you.” he whimpered.

“You’re so fuckin’ gorgeous…” Karl panted. He pulled Chris onto his side, bringing his leg up so that it rested over Karl’s right hip, and took both of their now aching cocks in one hand.

“Fuck..” Chris gasped, his hands grasping at Karl’s shoulders. He leaned closer, searching blindly for Karl’s mouth, and the other man moaned loudly as he treated both of them to quick, almost painfully hard strokes. He felt like he’d been waiting so long for this. 

“Fuck...god...Karl!…” Chris squeezed his eyes shut, his whole body shuddering with the sensation of Karl’s cock rubbing against his own. This was the very definition of sweet torture.

“Open your eyes for me sweetheart…please...I wanna see…” Karl gripped just a little harder and Chris opened his eyes. Their faces were only inches apart, and what Chris saw in Karl’s beautiful eyes, he knew must be mirrored in his own. No matter how long he lived, there would never be anyone else for him. 

In the next moment, release surged through him, made even more exquisite when he felt Karl’s hot come spurt in thick jets against his chest. The other man’s free hand curled around his neck and pulled him close for a hard, almost desperate kiss, as come mixed together between them. Karl’s hand was still moving, more slowly now, as Chris moaned into his mouth. 

When it was over, Karl broke away, his breath coming in hot gasps against Chris’s neck. The younger man felt as though his bones had melted, and truthfully, didn’t care if he never moved again. It seemed a long time before either of them spoke.

“I...can’t…” that was all Chris could manage. It was an effort just to move his hand from Karl’s shoulder to his waist.

“Can’t either…” Karl offered, shifting to brush a kiss against Chris’s sweaty forehead. He did manage to move so that he could pull Chris’s body half on top of his own, with the blonde’s head resting on his chest. They were both sticky and the carpet was a little scratchy on their bare skin, but neither one cared.

“When’s the party?” Karl asked after several more minutes of contented silence.

“Huh?” Chris had almost fallen asleep in the afterglow, but this incongruous question brought him back from the brink.

“Zak is helping with it right? Is everything done or…”

“It was gonna be tomorrow night, but…”

Karl waited for him to finish the sentence, and jostled his shoulder a bit when Chris remained silent. “But what?” he smiled.

Chris smiled back and snuggled closer. “I decided to cancel it.” As soon as he said the words he felt Karl’s body tense beneath his.

“Whatever for Chris? It’s your birthday.”

“I don’t need a party. I just need you.”

“Don’t be ridiculous. Of course you need a party.”

“I’m turning thirty-four. Big deal. You didn’t have a party for your birthday.” Chris punctuated the statement by poking Karl in the chest.

“Yeah I did.” Karl grabbed his finger with a wink. “A party of two.” The other man blushed and lowered his gaze. 

“That’s what I want, too.” he said quietly, placing the palm of his hand flat on Karl’s bare chest. “Just you and me. You’re only gonna be here for four days. Three really, since you’re leaving so early on Sunday.” 

Karl watched as Chris’s long lashes fanned out against his cheeks, and traced the veins in the younger man’s hand with his thumb.

“Actually,” Karl began, “We need to talk about that…”

Blue eyes snapped up to meet hazel, and Chris’s whole body tensed. “What?” he asked, his hand clenching into a fist.

“I had to change …”

“I knew it! “I fucking KNEW it!” Chris sat up immediately and moved away from Karl. 

“Your agent is a bitch! She always pulls this shit, no matter what you have going on! There’s always some last minute bullshit thing, and you can never say no!”

He pushed himself up off the floor, and almost tripped over his own shoes. Reaching down in a fury, he picked one of them up, and threw it as hard as he could with another curse.

“Chris, calm down!”

Karl was right behind him, and put a hand on his shoulder to stop him from retreating down the hall. 

“I’m trying to tell you…”

“Don’t...please.” Chris took a shaky breath and tried to shrug off Karl’s touch, but the dark-haired man wouldn’t allow it. He saw a tear trickle down Chris’s cheek and felt his heart constrict.

“Chris...just listen. I’m not leaving early. That’s not what this is about.” 

He ran his hand down Chris’s back in a soothing caress as the other man finally looked at him eyes brimming with tears. 

“I’m not leaving early.”

“You’re…”

“I’m right here love.” 

Chris seemed to deflate, and Karl saw that look around his eyes. He hadn’t been sleeping. He pulled him into a hug, and Chris went willingly this time, his breath hitching in his throat.

“I’m sorry…I’m just…” Chris sniffled and let out a sad laugh, “I was so worried that something would happen to screw this up.”

“I’m the one who’s sorry Chris. These past few months, I know how many times I’ve disappointed you. I am rather good at that.”

Karl couldn’t help thinking about some of the conversations he’d had with Natalie toward the end of their marriage. The distance wasn’t the only issue, or even the main one. Still, he’d left her alone so much of the time to pursue his career, always promising that things would slow down, and that he’d make more time for her. She didn’t want to leave New Zealand, and he didn’t want to give up his career. Things rocked along, at a an impasse, and he figured they’d stay that way indefinitely.Then he fell in love. He hadn’t even realized what he’d been missing until he met Chris. 

Holding him tightly as the smaller man fought back tears, Karl was more sure than ever that he’d made the right decision. He was not going to repeat past mistakes. 

“You’re...you’re here, and I love you so much.” Chris swallowed the lump in his throat and locked his arms around Karl’s waist, pressing a damp cheek into Karl’s shoulder. “I’m being an idiot...I’m sorry.”

Karl backed away slightly and brushed his fingers against Chris’s cheek so that he’d look up. Cupping his face gently, Karl held his gaze. “You’re not an idiot Chris, and you don’t have to be sorry. It’s alright to say that you’re upset.” 

Chris nodded, but immediately looked away from the older man in front of him. He’d always been a “people pleaser” putting his own needs aside in favor of other people. He wanted other people to be happy with him, and when they weren’t, whether it was for a real or imagined reason, he’d tie himself in knots to fix it. 

He couldn’t bare the idea of Karl being upset with him, especially since he’d changed his schedule around in the first place to make this trip. 

“When was the last time you got a good night’s sleep?” Karl asked, his voice soft with concern.

I dunno…” Chris shrugged. “I’ve just had things on mind, plus everything with the house. Promo for “Into the Woods” is gearing up…”

Karl sighed, and nodded understanding. “Shower sound good?” he asked.

He gently guided Chris down the hall, even as his tired lover glanced back at the scattered clothes in the living room. He heard his phone buzz and ignored it. He hated that fucking phone.

“You should get that.” Chris said as Karl turned on the shower.

“That’s what I have voicemail for.”

“I think that was the boys’ ring though.”

The older man gave his lover an indulgent smile and shook his head. Chris would know, since he’d set new ringtones on the phone back in June.

“It’s ok,” the blonde man smiled. “It might be important.”

“Yeah,” Karl sighed and gave Chris a quick kiss. “I’ll be back.”

He returned to the living room and fished his phone out of his jeans pocket. He glanced at the screen and punched the redial button. “Hunter? Hi kiddo...yep, I made it.”

Thirty-five minutes later, Karl was walking back toward the bedroom, with an armload of clothes. 

“Hey Chris, sorry I…”

Walking into the bedroom, he found the object of his affections sprawled on the king-size bed, his magnificent ass only partially covered by a towel. He was sound asleep. Karl took the towel, and gave Chris’s backside a pat before covering him up with the blanket folded at the end of the bed. 

He had no idea what time it was when he began to wake up. All Chris knew was that he was warm and comfortable. He pressed himself closer to the warm body that was draped over his, and gave a sigh of contentment. There was no better place in the world than in Karl’s arms. After floating between dreams and reality for a few more minutes, he finally gave in and slowly opened his eyes.

“Hi sleepyhead.” Karl’s half-awake, accented voice made Chris shiver. “Feel better?”

“Mmm” came the response, as he kissed Karl’s neck.

The handsome Kiwi carded his fingers through Chris’s hair, “What am I gonna do with you?”

“You need some ideas? I have a few…” 

Karl felt a familiar pair of full slips smile against his skin, and he pinched Chris’s bare butt.

“Ow!” the blonde jerked away and grabbed his pillow, smacking Karl in the face with it.

“Hey!” Karl grabbed the pillow, and a moment later, another one whacked him in the head, the corner of the pillow case stinging his eye. He allowed Chris to have the upper hand for about ten more seconds before pinning him to the bed.

“You wanna play?” he asked. The look in his dark green eyes was stuck somewhere between mischief and lust. 

Chris stayed still for a moment, waiting for Karl to relax. He felt the tension lessen in the strong hands that gripped both of his wrists above his head and tried to move.

“Uh-uh.” Karl raised his eyebrow for emphasis. 

“You started it…” Chris’s protest was weak, his cock more than half hard from the feeling of the other man’s body covering his, and being restrained by him.

“You almost put my bloody eye out.” Karl leaned closer, tightening his hold on Chris’s wrists by a fraction, and enjoying the way his lover’s blue eyes darkened with desire.

Karl’s left eye had reddened with irritation, and Chris felt a twinge of guilt. “I try to be good,” he said quietly, “but sometimes...it’s so hard…” His eyes flashed on the last word and he rolled his hips toward Karl for emphasis.

“Bet I can make it even harder, sweetheart.” Karl let his full weight press Chris into the mattress, his own organ swollen with need. “Is that what you want?”

Chris nodded, his tongue snaking out to lick his lips. 

“Tell me.” Karl whispered harshly, “I want to hear you say it.” 

Chris whimpered, trapped by Karl’s body, and his piercing eyes.

“Please...please help me be good Mr Urban...I try so hard but...I keep making mistakes.”

Karl leaned closer and licked at Chris’s parted, swollen lips, chuckling when the other man tried to capture his tongue. Chris looked at him desperately.

“You have better manners than that Chris. You have to ask first. Ask nicely.” Karl thrust against him and Chris swallowed thickly.

“I need...you…” he breathed. 

“Is that all?” Karl asked. 

He took his hands away from Chris’s wrists, and rested some of his weight on his forearms on either side of the blonde’s head. He noticed that Chris’s arms didn’t move, and smiled.

“Your tongue...I want it in my mouth...please?”

Speaking the words out loud made Chris’s cheeks blush and his cock twitch. Karl held his gaze, then closed the gap between them, and rewarded Chris with a kiss, thrusting his tongue inside again and again. After a few moments, he tore himself away, leaving both of them breathless. Karl’s right hand moved beneath the blanket that covered both of them, his fingers curling lightly around Chris’s hard length, then cupping his balls. 

“You are hard baby…”

Chris nodded, groaning softly as Karl fondled him beneath the covers. 

“I…” Chris started to speak then stopped, biting his lip in that way that Karl found insanely sexy.

“What is it?” Karl asked, nuzzling his neck.

“I don’t want to be a bad boy anymore. Can you fix it?” 

Chris gazed up at him with that angelic face and those huge blue eyes. He thrust his cock slowly into Karl’s fist, and the larger man growled deep in his chest. 

He grabbed the lube that was sitting conveniently on the nightstand and sat up a bit, letting Chris watch as he squeezed the tube and let some of the liquid pour into the palm of his hand. His own erection rested against his flat stomach, weeping a bit at the tip.

Chris chewed on his lip again, staring at the man before him.

“Do you remember what happened last time you were a bad boy Chris?”

“Uh huh.” came the whisper.

Karl stroked his own cock twice and then moved his hand between Chris’s legs again.

“Speak up please.” he barked. 

“I...I remember Mr. Urban.” Chris’s eyes fluttered shut as Karl moved both hands underneath Chris and kneaded his plump cheeks.

“Tell me what happened…” he continued, his fingers moving to part the flesh in his hands.

Chris’s breath caught in his throat. It had been weeks...months since Karl had taken him like this. He was so turned on that he didn’t know if he was going to make it.

“You...you fucked me…” he took a breath that turned into a whine when he felt Karl’s finger circling his hole.

“I did.” Karl agreed. “And it felt so good, being buried inside you.” He had to take a steadying breath to keep from blowing his wad right there. “But...if you’re misbehaving again so soon, I don’t think it’s going to help this time.” 

He circled Chris’s hole once more and the younger man pushed against him, craving contact.

Chris’s eyes were closed, but they opened wide at this remark. 

“No...I promise...I promise…” he pleaded. “I’ll be good...I’ll…” Chris gasped as he felt Karl’s finger push inside his pucker, and groaned as it breached the first ring of muscle, his body pulling the digit inside.

“You’re so tight Chris. I can see we’re going to have to do this more often if you want to be ready for me.” Karl smirked at his lover, and Chris bit his lip hard to keep from breaking character. 

“I need it sir...I need you to open me…” he rolled his hips a bit and Karl groaned. 

“Such a sexy boy.” He pushed a second finger inside and Chris began to move, moaning softly.

“Not yet Chris, you have to be patient.” 

The blonde ceased his movements, but when a third finger was introduced into Chris’s eager cavity, he had reached his limit.

“Now please,” Chris rasped. His eyes pleading. Karl had intended to wait a little longer, but seeing Chris so desperate for him destroyed his resolve. 

“Please…” he whimpered the word as Karl pulled out his fingers and positioned himself at Chris’s entrance. He pushed inside slowly, giving Chris’s body time to accommodate his size, as the younger man tried to control his breathing. 

“Relax baby…” Karl caressed his flushed face, and Chris leaned into the touch, moaning loudly.

“Is this what you needed?” came the whisper into his ear.

“Yes...yes…” Chris panted, as he fought to stay still. Karl pulled out slightly and Chris reached for him “Don’t take it away! I’ll be better from now on...I…”

“That’s what you said last time sweetheart.” 

Karl shook his head, but then pushed all the way in and rolled his hips. Chris gasped, and when he tried to move, the bigger man captured both of his wrists with one hand, holding them fast above the blonde’s head.

“Maybe if I do it harder this time.” 

Chris’s body buzzed with need, his cock throbbing between them. He choked back a sob as the very first thrust pushed him up toward the headboard. His back arched, and he strained against Karl’s hold.

Karl pulled back slightly, moaning at the feeling of Chris’s tight walls surrounding him. He snapped his hips again, and Chris’s reaction told him he’d found the magic spot. The younger man was writhing beneath him, and Karl repeated the movement, leaning down to capture Chris’s beautiful lips with his own.

He pounded into Chris twice more, leaving the younger man seeing stars, and then Karl slowed down a bit, as sweat pooled in the curve of his lower back. He pulled almost all the way out of Chris’s ass, and the younger man whined in protest, wrapping both legs around his lover to keep him inside. 

“Don’t...please...I need…” Karl’s hold on his wrists suddenly tightened to just this side of pain, and Chris stopped, gasping in surprise.

“You think you’re the only one…” he panted, struggling to catch his breath. “The only one who needs, Chris?”

Chris held his breath, feeling as though every nerve ending in his body was on alert. He could see it in Karl too. 

“N...No sir.” he whispered, his voice quivering a bit.

“Do you have any idea what it’s like...being six fucking thousand miles away from you? Thinking about you every fucking minute of the day, and all I can do is call you on the fucking phone?” 

Karl punctuated each part of his question with a hard thrust, and Chris bit back a moan. He stared at the man above him, and saw green eyes dark with lust, and some other, unnamed emotion. This wasn’t role-playing. This was real.

“Tell me.” Chris answered, his voice a little stronger this time.

This was the command that he usually heard from Karl. The command that gave him permission to reveal feelings and desires that weren’t shared with anyone else. The command that made him vulnerable...that laid him bare.

Karl looked down at him, almost shaking in his effort to maintain control. 

“Tell me.” Chris whispered again. “I want to hear you say it.”

“I hate it.” he growled. I hate being away from you...always fucking borrowing time and then leaving again.”

Karl let go of the younger man’s wrists and let his fingers trail down Chris’s left arm until they tangled in his hair. Chris moved his arms slowly, almost afraid that touching Karl would halt the emotion flowing out of him.

“What else?” Chris urged quietly.

“The ache in my chest that never goes away.” his voice broke on the last word and Chris felt his eyes prick with tears. “I’ve heard other people talk about it, and I thought it was just poetic bullshit...but...I have it. All the fucking time. It hurts.”

“Karl…” Chris touched his fingers to the other man’s cheek and Karl closed his eyes, his shoulders shaking as he dropped his forehead to Chris’s. 

“I need you Chris...I need you and I can’t…”

“I’m here now...I’m here.” Chris ran his hands through Karl’s thick hair and across his shoulders, his heart breaking when eyes full of tears finally looked at him. Chris kissed him, slowly caressing Karl’s tongue with his.

“I’m yours Karl...always yours. Take me.”

The bigger man began to move, slowly at first and then with more urgency, harder and faster. 

"Say it again..." He rasped, one hand reaching for the headboard, the other on Chris's hip.

Chris yielded to each thrust, his release just out of reach. 

"Always...always yours...always your good boy...love you..."

Chris held on as Karl thrust deep inside him one final time and then tensed for release. He came with a shout, filling his lover and sending the younger man over the edge as well. Chris would recall afterwards that his own cock hadn't even been touched.

Feeling like his heart was going to explode out of his chest, Karl wrapped both arms around Chris and tried calm down. He and Chris were always intense, but this...he’d never cried...ever. 

Chris was still trapped underneath him, his voice in Karl’s ear soft and steady as the bigger man slowly came back to himself. He really didn’t know what Chris was saying. Just the sound of his voice was enough, as he let himself be maneuvered so that they lay on their sides facing each other. When he looked at Chris’s tear-stained face he felt his throat constrict again. 

“ ‘M sorry…” That was all Karl managed to choke out before Chris shook his head, putting two fingers up to Karl’s mouth, then replacing them with his lips in a ghost of a kiss. 

"Don't ever be sorry for needing me."

Karl looked at him and nodded, as the combination of jet-lag and heightened emotions pulled him toward sleep.

“Rest now babe. We’ll talk when you wake up.”


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Karl gives Chris his birthday surprise.

He woke up in darkness, feeling a little like he’d been hit by a truck. Fuck jetlag he thought, running a hand over his face. The clock on the nightstand said 8:30. He found the pair of sweatpants and clean T-shirt that Chris had set out for him and made his way out of the bedroom.

“Chris?”

“In the kitchen.” Came the reply.

“Why did you let me sleep so late?” Karl asked, squinting at the bright lights over the breakfast bar.

“You needed it,” Chris smiled. “I made you some tea, if you want.”

Karl smiled. Chris hated tea, but he always had it on hand. 

“That would be great.”

He made his way over to Chris and pulled him in for a hug, just as the other man was reaching into the cabinet for a mug. With a laugh, Chris abandoned his efforts and returned the embrace.

“Love you.” Karl said softly, not letting go.

Chris was more than content to stay where he was, but he felt a little uneasy. There was no doubt in his mind how Karl felt, but, he wasn’t usually this emotional, or this vocal about it. Chris was the crier, the one who talked ad nauseum about his feelings, and “freaked out” over every little thing. Not Karl.

“Are you Ok?” Chris asked, moving so he could look into the handsome man’s eyes. Karl gazed back at him, his eyes still a little bleary from sleep.

“Yeah...I just…” he shrugged, not finding the words he wanted. “We need to talk...it’ll be a good thing.” Karl added the last bit quickly, seeing the look that came across Chris’s face. 

Chris nodded, trying to let himself feel relieved. Something was up though, and he wasn’t sure he liked not knowing what it was. With a small smile, he went back to searching for a suitable mug. 

They settled on the couch, with Karl cradling his mug of warm tea in both hands. When he’d landed in LA, he’d been so excited to talk to Chris about this. Now he was wondering if he’d made a mistake moving full steam ahead without at least mentioning something about it. He cleared his throat, and stared down into his tea.

“You’re starting to scare me a little.” Chris admitted, putting a cautious hand on Karl’s thigh. “If something’s wrong…”

“Nothing’s wrong...I said this was gonna be a good thing...at least I hope so.”

“It doesn’t look good. You’re...pale.”

Karl’s eyebrows knitted together and he ran a nervous hand through his bedhead hair. “I uh...I gotta get something out of my bag. I’ll be right back.”

 

With that, he pushed up off the couch, Chris staring at his retreating figure. Left alone, the younger man’s mind went into overdrive. He thought about what Karl had said earlier. How hard it was being so far apart all the time. How much he hated these rushed visits that they tried to squeeze in every couple of months. How his chest hurt.

The pieces started to fit together, and Chris realized what this must be. Karl was going to break up with him. He felt himself get hot and cold all at once. Just a few hours ago, he’d had the most intimate experience of his life, and now…

“Sorry,” Karl half-smiled as he walked back into the living room. He was carrying a small rectangular box with a blue bow on it.

“What’s...what’s that?” Chris asked, his voice sounded tight, and Karl gave him a look, but then let the moment pass.

“It’s your birthday present. I know the actual “day” isn’t until Saturday but…” he flopped down on the couch next to Chris, but didn’t hand him the package.

“Before I give you this...I um…”

“Karl, wait a minute…”

“I know you love to analyze, but, just this once, let me go first.” Karl looked at him almost pleadingly. Chris nodded his heart pounding in his chest.

“Ever since my birthday, I’ve been thinking about...about a lot things.” Karl took a deep breath and then glanced at Chris. “I’ve never felt this strongly…” Karl shook his head, and started again. “I’ve never loved anyone the way that I love you Chris.”

“Karl…” Chris felt his face get hot.

“It’s completely amazing, and... terrifying.” His left leg was bouncing nervously, and he tried in vain to keep it still. “Every time I have to leave you…”

“It’s hard for me too. It’s horrible.” Chris interrupted. “But it’s better than not seeing you at all. I don’t…”

“I can’t do it anymore Chris. That was part of the problem with me and Nat. Not...not the whole problem, obviously, but...it didn’t help. We never saw each other.” Karl laughed ruefully, not noticing that all of the color had drained out of Chris’s face. 

“Maybe the fact that I didn’t work harder to change that should have told me something.” The big man paused and looked up at his younger lover. “I don’t want that to happen to us.”

“It won’t…” Chris reached out and put a hand on Karl’s arm, hoping to stop what he knew was only a few moments away. “I love you,” he said desperately. 

Karl looked at him and reached out to frame Chris’s face in his big hands. He pressed his warm mouth to Chris’s, sucking on his bottom lip, and the younger man moaned into the kiss. 

Karl pulled away first, and Chris grabbed onto his wrists, trying to keep him close. 

“I probably should’ve talked to you first before I decided to do this, but after we saw each other in June, I knew it was the right decision. I still feel that way. I’m just nervous I guess.” Karl actually blushed, and Chris felt completely confused, and hurt that Karl wasn’t more upset about this.

“Can’t we at least talk about it?” Chris asked. I mean, before you just arbitrarily make this decision for both of us?”

Karl’s brows knitted together again, and he backed away from Chris a bit.

“Do you...I haven’t even told you what this is about.”

“I’m not stupid Karl. If you’re so sure this is the ‘right decision’ then why don’t you just spit it out instead of beating around the bush?”

Karl blinked at him, feeling completely at a loss. He was so bad at this shit. He should have just told Chris right off the bat instead of going with the romantic preamble. Now he’d fucked it up.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean…”

“And by the way,” Chris continued, standing up from the couch. “I hate the fucking distance as much as you do. More even! At least you have your kids when you go home. I just get to sit here and agonize over when you’ll be able to fit me into your schedule again!”

Chris walked away and then immediately turned around, his face red. “It sucks that every time we’re together, I start thinking about you leaving about an hour after you get here, but you know what? It’s worth it. To me, it’s worth it because I love you! So much that it hurts...so yeah...I know what that feels like too.” He was crying now, backing away from Karl who was standing up, and reaching for him. 

“How can you do what we did this afternoon...how can you sit there and tell me you’ve never loved anyone like this and then end everything?”

Karl’s mind was scrambling to keep up with this disaster that was unfolding in front of him. So far, he wasn’t doing a very good job, but when he heard the words “end everything”, it was like hitting a brick wall. Now he got it. Chris thought this was a “break up” talk. Perfect. 

He took a cautious step forward. “Sweetheart, you don’t un…”

“Don’t!” Chris barked, as he tried to stop crying. Usually, that only resulted in him becoming more emotional and short of breath. This time was no different. 

“Chris…” Karl tried again, but Chris turned away, walking out of the room.

“Chris wait! Just…Jesus just stop!” Karl yelled at him. He hadn’t meant to, but if it would get the other man to listen to him, then he supposed it was a means to an end.

Chris stopped dead, his whole body rigid with tension.

“I’m not ‘ending everything’.” Karl waited and when Chris didn’t move, his let out a defeated sigh. “Please turn around. Turn around and look at me.”

Once the blonde turned his tear-stained face to Karl, the older man spoke again. “I’m not ending anything. I was actually hoping to start something, but…”

“You’re not?” Chris’s voice sounded hoarse, even to his own ears.

“No.” Karl smiled sadly, shaking his head.

“But...but you said…”

“I know what I said. Am I really that much of an ass that you think I’d…”

“No…” Chris spoke up quickly, suddenly feeling like he’d fallen into some parallel universe. Now he didn’t feel sure of anything.

“Here,” Karl walked back to the couch and picked up the box with the blue bow. Closing the distance between himself and Chris with two long strides, he held it out.

“Just open the present.”

Chris’s mind was reeling again. If that wasn’t a break up talk, then what the hell was going on? He wanted to ask questions, but decided he’d better keep quiet for now. He untied the ribbon around the box, and slowly opened it. Inside was a small key. He looked up at Karl with confused blue eyes.

“It’s a house key.” Karl explained. “My house key.”

Chris looked at the object in the box again and opened his mouth to speak, then closed it. 

“I don’t understand.” he finally admitted. 

“I’m moving here Chris. To the States. To L.A."

Chris said nothing at first. "Happy Birthday?" Karl tried to sound hopeful in his moment of panic, smiling hesitantly.

The blonde swallowed audibly, his eyes still locked on Karl’s. After a moment, he fished the key out of the box and held it in his hand. His chest was so tight he felt like a weight was sitting on it.

“When you said you couldn’t do this anymore…”

“I meant I didn’t want to be on the other side of the world anymore. I want to be…” Karl stopped, and lowered his gaze, still feeling unsure. “I want to be where you are.”

Chris wiped at his eyes, which were once again tearing up. He stepped forward and put his arms around Karl, burying his face in the other man’s neck, holding onto him fiercely. Karl pulled him closer, letting out a long breath.

“Does this mean you’re happy about this?” Karl asked against Chris’s flushed cheek.

Chris nodded wordlessly, not trusting his voice yet. This whole thing was like something out of the Twilight Zone. After a few moments, Karl led him back to the couch, and maneuvered the two of them until Chris was laying across him, with his blond head on Karl’s chest.

He still hadn’t said anything, so Karl finally spoke up. “Are you sure you’re ok with this?” he asked. “You haven’t…”

“Earlier, when you said you had to change your ticket, is this what you were talking about?” Chris asked the question, not even acknowledging the one that his lover had just posed.

“Yes,” Karl smiled. 

“So if you’re not going back on Sunday, when…”

“I’m not going back. I mean, the boys will have a break from school late next month, so I might try to go then. They could come here too I suppose. I hadn’t thought about that.”

Chris sat up a bit and looked at him, his face incredulous. “You...you mean this is it? You’re here to stay?”

Karl sighed, “I know I probably should have told you about this before now, but I wanted to surprise you. I’ve been…”

Chris cut him off with a hard kiss, pushing his tongue into Karl’s mouth as his fingers twisted in the fabric of the t-shirt the dark-haired man was wearing. 

Karl gasped in surprise, then gave into the kiss, wrapping both arms around Chris, and pushing his thigh between Chris’s legs. The pair couldn’t get close enough.

After several blissful moments, the need for oxygen won out over passion. 

“ So this is...you’re really staying here with me?” Chris asked the question again, just to be sure he hadn’t misinterpreted something else. 

“Mmm hmm.” Karl kissed his eyes and his nose, and then his lips, one more time.

“What about the boys? What about…”

“Stop worrying…” Karl said gently.

“But, you’re uprooting your whole life...it’s…”

Karl sat up, keeping one arm around Chris. “It’s not like I’ve never been to LA Sweetheart. Besides that, my “bitch” of an agent is thrilled. I’ll probably be even busier than I am now.”

Chris nodded, seeing the truth in Karl’s statement. 

“But at least now, I can call you to say goodnight and we’ll be in the same time zone.” Karl squeezed his shoulder, and a radiant smile spread over Chris’s face. Reality was sinking in.

“You won’t be calling me to say good night, that’s for sure. 

“You’ll be sick of me in three months, tops.” 

“Never.” Chris leaned in and hugged the bigger man again, then backed up suddenly, his blue eyes bright with excitement. “I need to give you a key to my place too!” 

Karl smiled as Chris jumped off the couch and headed for the kitchen. When the blonde’s cell phone, which was sitting on the coffee table buzzed, Karl jumped.

“Can you answer it please?” Chris looked up from the junk drawer that he was rummaging through.

Karl’s forehead creased in confusion, but then he reached for the phone. It was Zach.

“Hello?”

“Karl-Heinz! You have arrived.” 

Karl rolled his eyes at Zach’s insistence on using his full name. “In the flesh. How are you Quinto?”

“Good, although your boyfriend totally disrupted my week. He cancelled his own birthday party, and our coffee date. He’s been a nervous wreck waiting for you.”

Karl smiled to himself and watched a still grinning Chris walk toward him holding a key ring.

“So how long will you be here? Until Sunday?”

“Uh…actually…” Karl moved a bit so that Chris could sit down next to him again. “I’m…”

Chris shook his head and reached for the phone, which Karl gladly handed over.

“Zach? Don’t kill me but...can the party be back on?”

There was a pause, followed by an exasperated sigh. “I’ve already texted everybody to cancel it Christopher.”

“Sorry...can you just send something out that’s we’re having it? Please?” Chris reached out to take Karl’s hand, threading their fingers together. 

“Are you gonna tell me what’s going on?” Zach asked. “Don’t say nothing. I can hear it in your voice.”

“I’ll tell you tomorrow.” Chris promised, making a small noise when Karl leaned over to bite his neck.

“Chris…” 

“You’re the best Zach. Gotta go now...bye!”

Karl took the phone out of his hand before he could press the end button, and threw it behind the couch. 

“You have coffee dates with him?” Karl asked, wrinkling his nose as he pushed Chris back into the couch.

“On Sunday mornings.” Chris explained. “If I’m not busy.” He sighed as Karl’s hand went beneath the waistband of his sleep pants.

“You’ll be busy on Sunday mornings from now on.” he declared. 

“You promise?” Chris’s voice was breathless, his heart fluttering with happiness.

“I promise.” Karl smiled down at him and sealed the promise with a kiss.

**Author's Note:**

> Love and thanks to We Will Spock You, for suggesting this idea and for encouraging me in my love of Urbine!!! Hope all of our fellow Urbine lovers, and everyone else, will enjoy!


End file.
